Navigating the StormRobert Chandler, PhDDirector Nicholson School of CommunicationDirector, Nicholson School of CommunicationUniversity of Central Florida

About Everbridge

• Leader in incident notification systems

• Fast-growing global company with more than 1,000 clients in more than 100 countries

S th Gl b l 2000 h lth• Serve the Global 2000, healthcare systems, state and local government, federal government, military, financial services firms, and universities

• 100% focused on incident notification solutions that merge technology and expertise

• Several years experience delivering message maps and communication solutions

2www.everbridge.com

AgendaAgendaPart 1: Presentation • Sending clear and concise messages• Reduce risks by planning communications for severe weather in

advance• Satisfy regulatory requirementsy g y q

Part 2: Q&A

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Q&ANote: slides will be available to everyone onQ&A everyone on blog.everbridge.com shortly after the event

Use the Q&A function to submit your questionsquestions.

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Navigating the Storm: How to Improve Severe Weather Communications

Robert C. Chandler, PhDUniversity of Central FloridaUniversity of Central Florida

Winter weather can be a natural disaster

• Winter weather conditions are currently causing significant inconveniences and may be hazardous Some forecasters areinconveniences and may be hazardous. Some forecasters are saying this winter could go down as one of the worst on record.

• About 70% of the accidental deaths in the winter (ice and snow related) occur in automobiles largely due to traffic accidentsrelated) occur in automobiles, largely due to traffic accidents.

• 50% of deaths related to exposure to cold temperatures are peopleto cold temperatures are people over 60 years old. Unfortunately, many of these are due to overexertion from snow removal and other difficult tasks.

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Winter weather can be a natural disaster

• Definite financial impact to organizations – absent staff, inability to receive/send goods business travel restrictions cost ofreceive/send goods, business travel restrictions, cost of communications to keep everyone informed

• Severe weather highlights the need for telework policies

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What do people need to know?

• When does the forecast predict that severe weather will come?

p p

• How to prepare before the danger hits, what supplies to have on hand, what plans should be made.

• Will operations be interrupted? p p

• How will the winter weather affect their jobs?

• What steps are being taken by the company that they should know about?

• Who needs to brave the storm? Who should stay at home?

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Part 1: Six Stages of a Communication Crisis

Six stages of a crisis Severe weatherPart 1: Six Stages of a Communication CrisisSevere weather

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Four Components of an effective emergency notification messageemergency notification message

Inform Urgencyg y

Instructions Confirmation

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Effective Emergency Notification MessagesEffective Emergency Notification Messages

• Emergency Notification Messages need to achieve all four t t b ff ti (1) i f 2)message components to be effective (1) inform, 2) express

urgency, 3) provide specific behavioral instructions, and 4) give the next step – confirmation/reply etc.

• Emergency Notification Messages should front load key information into the first 30 words/30 seconds

• Emergency Notification Messages should written at or below a 6th-Emergency Notification Messages should written at or below a 6thgrade reading level

• Emergency Notification Messages should be written using readability ease rulesreadability ease rules

• Emergency Notification Messages sensitive to the needs of different demographic groups including languages, co-cultural groups, needs agenda, etc.

Part 1: What Are Message Maps?

Message MapsMessage maps help organizations communicateclearly during an emergency

Part 1: What Are Message Maps?

Message maps are:

• created prior to crisis events

• specific to one organization and situation

• to provide a “road map” of what to communication, t h h d hto whom, when, and how.

• easy to use during challenges of a crisis

• able to provide pre screened language word• able to provide pre-screened language, word choice, and exemplars to speed up the communication process

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Creating an effective message mapping strategymapping strategy

• Consider how the weather affects your people and organization

• Walk through every possible implication of weather’s impact

• Make choices about types of messages needed

• Determine channels of communication- How will these messages be delivered? - How will you know the message was received? - Is there a confirmation process? - Is an automated system in place?

• Pre-messaging

• Deep background education

• Hone and refine actual message maps

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Message saturation/modality redundancy

From Seattle’s SDOT: • Winter Weather Brochure – Seattle DOT publishes a winter weather brochure each year. These

come home with kids in public elementary schools will be available at community centers andcome home with kids in public elementary schools, will be available at community centers and libraries.

• Snow Map – This map is your most important tool for knowing what to expect during winter weather. It shows all of SDOT’s snow routes, which match up with Metro’s routes. If nothing else thi i t k th !this winter, know the snow map!

• Twitter – SDOT uses this social-networking site to send quick messages to your computer or cellphone about traffic status all year round. During a snow event, you can expect frequent updates on the status of Seattle’s streets. Sign up at www.twitter.com/seattledot

• SDOT Blog – SDOT’s blog is where we spread the word about the work we are doing – new sidewalks, signals, and larger projects. During the winter, you can expect a daily roundup of snow-fighting activities, street closures and other winter weather information. Visit SDOT’s Blog at http://sdotblog.seattle.gov .

• Website – During a snow event, when you visit SDOT’s main web page - -www.seattle.gov/transportation -- you will notice a change from everyday operations. When there is snow on the ground, SDOT’s main webpage will turn into an up-to-the-minute snow removal operational update, including which routes have been treated, what the conditions are, key road p p , g , , yclosures and links to traffic cameras so you can see for yourself.

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Audience pollpHave you experienced issues where employees/constituents have braved the p yelements because they did not receive instructions to stay at home?О YesО YesО No

H d f lti l i f tiHow are you prepared for multiple information outlet failure in severe weather (i.e. cable, electricity, cellular towers)?y )О Manual call treesО Single contact path methodО Multi modal communication systemО Multi-modal communication system

Lessons learnedKentucky ice storm 2009Kentucky ice storm 2009

• Results from survey conducted with member of the Kentucky Outreach and Information Network (KOIN) after the January 2009 ice storm.

• KOIN network participants are trusted members of their p pcommunities who are tasked with communicating news when traditional means are unavailable.

• Due to road conditions and other transportation barriersDue to road conditions and other transportation barriers, the KOIN network was exclusively reliant on electricity and digital communication.

L f l t i it t d t i ti• Loss of electricity stopped most communication and defeated traditional mass media messaging.

Lessons learned Kentucky ice storm 2009Many communication breakdowns were encountered:

Kentucky ice storm 2009

• Inability to communicate with a multitude of non-English speaking people in the area.

• Information in the communication from the

• E-mail messages distributed to KOIN members’ work e-mail addresses were sometimes received slower because of office closures

KOIN network found to be too little too late.

• Some reported that it took between 2 and 16+ hours to receive messages from KOIN.

office closures.

• Alerts regarding electricity, water, food and shelter did not get through.

• When asked if contact list was up-to-date,

• Interruption of multiple communication sources – cable, land line, cell phone, internet, due to lack of electricity.

p ,only 52% of those responding indicated “Yes” and 50% had the list in their possession during the storm.

• “I would like to see the information sent to• Communication with special needs/vulnerable population particularly challenging.

I would like to see the information sent to multiple contact sources (work and e-mail accounts). Sometimes information is time sensitive; I would like to be able to send it out quickly.” – Respondent to KOIN Study

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Lessons learned Kentucky ice storm 2009Kentucky ice storm 2009The lessons learned from the survey findings pointed to specific next steps that KOIN members can take to improve their outreach and

Improving personal and family preparedness, including planning for:• Alternate power supplies

communication capacity. Examples include:

Alternate power supplies• Supplies that allow sheltering in place• Kerosene heaters

Improving continuity of operations planning:Improving continuity of operations planning:• Communication planning in advance of the ice storm• Assign staff to make expected contacts• Plan for the loss of power and Internet• Review how much of operations is tied to another organization’s function

Improving quality of contact lists:• Add other KOIN members, interpreters, translators, ESL teachers• Include shelter phone numbers, emergency phone numbers

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Audience results

Audience results

Severe Weather Notification

Candace GreenEverbridge

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Incident notification solutions address common weather related communication challengesweather-related communication challenges• Communicate quickly, easily, and

efficiently with large numbers of• Reduce miscommunications and

control rumors with accurateefficiently with large numbers of people in minutes, not hours, making sure that information about utilities, road conditions, and facility closings

control rumors with accurate, consistent messages (3P = 1N)

• Free key personnel to performis received

• Use all contact paths especially when regional or local

Free key personnel to perform critical tasks by automating manual, time-intensive, error-prone processes

when regional or local communication infrastructure is damaged or not working

• Satisfy regulatory requirementswith extensive and complete reporting of delivery attempts and

• Ensure two-way communicationsto know who may need immediate rescue assistance

reporting of delivery attempts and two-way acknowledgements from recipients

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The Everbridge difference

t h l + ti ttechnology + expertise = empowerment

technology + expertise = confidence

technology + expertise = your success

technology + expertise = solution

gy p y

Everbridge, the world’s recognized leader in incident notification t t h l ith i d t ti t h lsystems, merges technology with industry expertise to help

millions of people communicate in a crisis, manage operational incidents, and connect on a daily basis., y

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Key evaluation criteria for an incident notification system

• Ease of use

• Ability to reach all contact paths,Ability to reach all contact paths, including voice, email, native SMS (over SMPP and SMTP), IM, and more

• Experience

• Ease of integration

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Everbridge + WeatherDataIntegrated capability which issues clear, location based weather warnings and tracks message delivery.

• Features Everbridge Aware® and WeatherData’s SkyGuard® service.

• Customized, site-specific weather alerts are delivered across multiple communication devices.

• Friendly interface allows for easy update of groups and contact data –by administrators or individuals.

• Detailed reports track communication activities, easing post-event analysisp y

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Q&ANote: slides will be available to everyone oneveryone on blog.everbridge.com shortly after the event

Use the Q&A function to submit your questionsquestions.

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Item Number (Schedule II): 26.1Activity Group: A1 Point for each webinar

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1 Point for each webinar

Contact information Communication resources

Candace Greencandace.green@everbridge.com1-818-230-9700

Winter Weather Response Kitgo.everbridge.com/Winter

Robert C. Chandler, PhDrcchandl@mail.ucf.edu

Weather.html

White papers, case studies, literature

1-407-823-2683 everbridge.com/resources

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http://www amazon com/Surviving-Pandemic-Robert-Chandler-

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